Archive for the 'Joseph Fauria' Tag Under 'UCLA' Category

For UCLA's group of talented wideouts and tight ends, the spotlight is now officially on.

That message was clear enough during the spring with each new day bringing further attention to the Bruins' talented, yet unproven receiving corps. First, it was Devin Lucien repeating to the media that he deserved a starting spot. Then, it was Shaq Evans barking at any UCLA cornerback , and new tight end Darius Bell explaining how he could be better than last year's touchdown extraordinaire Joseph Fauria.

Throw in a potential breakout threat in Devin Fuller and a talented Jordan Payton -- who was quietly impressive during the spring -- and the expectations for UCLA's receiving corps are undeniably high heading into this season.

And for UCLA's passing game to take a step forward -- just as its running game takes a step back with the graduation of Johnathan Franklin -- that endless chatter will need to translate to results on the field.

Last season, that was easier said than done, as many of UCLA's wideouts struggled with injuries. Fuller, Bell, and Lucien (37 catches combined in 2012) were especially affected -- all three missed serious time. Injuries like that -- given the Bruins' limited depth at the position -- could derail UCLA's passing game in a hurry this season.

As one of the biggest offensive targets in the draft, UCLA tight end Joe Fauria was expected to be a late-round pick.

But despite his size and production -- he led all tight ends with 10 touchdowns last season -- Fauria went undrafted. Within an hour of the draft's end though, Fauria signed as an undrafted free agent with the Detroit Lions.

The Lions drafted Alabama tight end Michael Williams in the 7th round as well, so Fauria will likely have a fight on his hands to make Detroit's roster. The Lions also have tight ends Brandon Pettigrew and Tony Scheffler on the roster. Still, with the size he brings to the table, it wouldn't be a shock to see Fauria's NFL dream come true this fall.

As for the rest of UCLA's undrafted free agents, cornerbacks Aaron Hester and Sheldon Price both signed, with the Broncos and Colts, respectively, while long-snapper Kevin McDermott signed with the 49ers.

UCLA hasn't had more than four players drafted in the NFL Draft in over a decade. But with this year's draft set to kick off on Thursday night, the Bruins could be set to have their most successful showing in the annual event in recent memory.

At least four UCLA players are expected to be drafted on Thursday with Datone Jones, Johnathan Franklin, Jeff Baca, and Joe Fauria all seemingly guaranteed to go some time in the draft's seven rounds. But if late-round fliers like punter Jeff Locke, who is considered by some to be the best at the position, or cornerbacks Aaron Hester and Sheldon Price were to sneak into the draft, Mora's first offseason could prove to be a successful one when it comes to churning out NFL talent.

Let's take a look at where each of UCLA's likely draftees stands heading into Thursday's first round:

DATONEJONES

Position: Defensive endMeasurables: 6-4, 283 poundsStrengths: Jones is a seriously athlete with a devastating burst off the line, and in his final season at UCLA, he greatly improved his hands and moves -- using martial arts -- to help him create better separation and become more of a havoc in the backfield. He's also got one of the best combinations of strength and speed in his class, finishing 10th in the 40-yard dash and fifth in bench press among defensive ends.Weaknesses: The biggest knock against Jones is that he's a tweener defensive end -- one that isn't quite fast enough and doesn't get quite enough separation to be in a 4-3 scheme, but isn't strong enough to take on double teams as a 3-4 end. Mora and defensive line coach Angus McClure have fervently evaluated his tweener-ness as an advantage, making him more versatile. I suppose it depends on how you evaluate him. He still could get in better shape and continue to improve technique-wise, depending on what position a team puts him in, but there are no glaring weaknesses in his game besides his lack of a true fit.Draft range: Anywhere from Indianapolis' No. 24 pick in the first round to somewhere early in the second.Most likely suitors: Green Bay, Indianapolis, New England, Denver, and San Francisco have also been mentioned. The Packers or 49ers may be the best bet at this point.

LOS ANGELES — It almost seemed too easy last season, the way UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley could toss the ball high into the endzone, out of the reach of defenders, and into the giant, outstretched hands of tight end Joseph Fauria. With his faithful red zone target towering over almost every defender, Hundley and Fauria had a saying for when they were near the endzone.

“Put it on the top shelf where the kids can't get it,” Hundley said.

Those top-shelf plays accounted for 12 touchdowns for Fauria last season – the most by a tight end in college football. And with Fauria off to the NFL in a few weeks, Hundley won’t have a weapon he called his “safety net” roaming the red zone.

But different doesn’t always mean worse. Just ask Darius Bell, the 5-11, fifth-year senior former quarterback tasked with replacing Fauria’s production at Y. He doesn’t have nearly the same size Fauria does, a fact he’s well-aware of, but he does have the confidence. And Bell thinks his different skill set – he fashions his game after Broncos’ slot Wes Welker – could help UCLA at least maintain last year’s solid 82-percent success rate in the red zone.

“Filling his shoes, probably not going to replace 12 touchdowns from a 6-7 target,” Bell said, “but there’s things I can do better than he could. There’s things he could do better than me, but my job is to go out there and do what I can.”

UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley scores as he is tackled by USC's Jawanza Starling early in Saturday's game at the Rose Bowl. (GETTY IMAGES)

After six years, the UCLA Bruins are once again the kings of Los Angeles.

A brilliant start turned into a second-half nail-biter, but UCLA's defense did an amazingly effective job of forcing the Trojans into mistakes, and the young Bruins played with poise down the stretch and beat the Trojans 38-28 on Saturday afternoon at the Rose Bowl.

UCLA (9-2, 6-2) beat USC (7-4, 5-4) for the first time since 2006 and the Bruins secured their place in the Pac-12 Conference championship game in two weeks. The Trojans, preseason favorites to win the national championships, now face the possibility of a five-loss season, with Notre Dame in town next week.

The Bruins toyed with USC's senior quarterback Matt Barkley throughout the game and forced him into two huge momentum-turning interceptions, but Barkley still helped the Trojans make it a game late.

The start of the 2012 college football season is just right around the corner, which means preseason award watch lists have begun to surface.

In a release from UCLA Wednesday, it was announced that punter Jeff Locke has been named to the Ray Guy Award watch list, which honors the country's top collegiate punter. Locke was also named to the College Football Performance Awards list on Monday.

Along with Locke, Bruins tight end Joseph Fauria and running back Jonathan Franklin are preseason award watch list honorees, too.

Fauria has earned a spot on the 2012 John Mackey Award watch list, an award that goes to the top tight end in the country, and also on the College Football Performance Awards watch list. Franklin was named to the Maxwell Award List, according to a release from UCLA on uclabruins.com.

UCLA became the first team in NCAA history to finish a season 6-8 after falling to Illinois 20-14 in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl Saturday at AT&T Park in San Francisco.

Here's the Bruins' final game report card:

Offense

The good: Bruin quarterback Kevin Prince threw for 201 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Prince found six different receivers including high school teammate Joseph Fauria, who had a team-high five receptions.

Following UCLA's devastating loss to USC, Coach Rick Neuheisel gave his players Sunday off so they could get their minds in a better place before preparing for Friday's Pac-12 title game.

“I thought it was a good call by Coach Neuheisel,” quarterback Kevin Prince said.

The players felt a bit different about Athletic Director Dan Guerrero's decision to fire Neuheisel just four days before they face Oregon.

“I feel like they could have waited,” junior defensive end Datone Jones said. “I feel like it's a distraction to our team. It's another distraction we have. I was hurt. That's my head coach. He recruited me out of high school. We formed bonds together. To see him go down is crazy. But we can't do anything about it.”

No opposing player, maybe outside of Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck, has been talked about at UCLA more frequently heading into a game than Arizona State linebacker Vontaze Burfict.

The coaching staff has been adamant about accounting for Burfict on every play.

“You got to know where No. 7 is,” Coach Rick Neuheisel said. “We'll take turns (blocking him) because no one person is going to be able to handle that job.”

Burfict has earned an infamous reputation in his three years thanks to numerous big hits and personal fouls. That has one UCLA player who will likely be called upon to block Burfict downplaying that assignment.